NO TEARS FOR 'CROCODILES'

Residents of Avondale Road will shed no tears when the kerbs, known locally as 'crocodiles' along the cycle track, are removed by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

The long idyllic road that sweeps down to the Killiney roundabout , Avondale Road has been the focus of strife and dissension in recent months culminating in the County Council's decision to capitulate with the residents demands and remove offending cycle track road kerbs. "These kerbs were put in place in the first instance to protect cyclists from motorists who traditionally have driven at speed down this road" said John Guckian from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council's Traffic Department. One look at the offending 'crocodiles' and it's easy to see why the cycle track and kerbs were put in place. Not alone is this one very long straight road, situated on this road is St Joseph of Cluny School and where there are schools there are children cyclists. Equally easy to understand is the position faced by residents who have to reverse either into their driveways causing an obstruction to traffic on the road or out of their driveways thus endangering pedestrians and cyclists due to the positioning of the kerbs.

Residents of Avondale Road are united in their opposition to the cycle track kerbs on the basis that they are (a) dangerous, (b) do not permit residents to park outside their gates and (c) restrict access to their driveways.

In defence of the cycle tracks the County Council say that "(a) the cycle tracks including the kerbs are not dangerous if drivers keep within the speed limits and additional marking and signage which would have been included if the project was completed would address these issues.

"The Avondale Road cycle track was part of a Cycle track Network throughout Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County. In the case of Avondale Road, there is the long-standing issue of traffic speeds which resulted in a number of accidents and created a hazard for other road users particularly pedestrians and any few cyclists who might dare use the route. Following discussions with the Avondale Road Resi-dents representatives and the consideration of vari-ous options for a cycle track, the Council agreed to proceed with cycle tracks including kerbs which would have the ef-fect of offering protection to the cyclist and reducing the width of the carriage-way. The cost of the con-tract was approximately £80,000 initially"

Avondale Road Residents however refute the Coun-cils claim that they were fully consulted at all stages of planning hence the strength of their protest. In an attempt to effect a com-promise, the County Council proposed to re-duce the kerb length to give easier access to drives and add approximately 20, additional kerbside spaces as part of the completed scheme. This was not ac-ceptable to the residents. Again the Residents Asso-ciation and the Council are in disagreement about the issue of safety as cars re-verse out of driveways the Council claiming that " this issue of access and revers-ing out of drives is a non issue as the Council was prepared to do whatever was necessary to accom-modate car movements and it has been confirmed by the Gardai that it is not ille-gal to reverse out of driveways assuming it is done with due care and attention".

"Following lengthy dis-cussions with residents and local councillors it was agreed that the kerbs would be removed and the cycle tracks would be re-designed and revised pro-posals would also include ramps on Avondale Road. It is estimated that this re-vised scheme may cost in excess of £200,000. Con-sultants have been asked to prepare a revised scheme (or schemes) and as soon as these can be agreed with local residents they will be put in place. The Council is anxious to have the revised scheme done as soon as possible as the ex-isting situation is unsatisfac-tory and the parking of residents cars on the paths are endangering the cy-clists. Apart from the de-termined opposition from residents who do not like the kerbs and want them removed the Council has a lot of support from the Gardai, Cycling groups, and local cyclists and resi-dents who see the tracks with the existing kerbing arrangement offering a safer environment to the cyclist and at the same time reducing traffic speeds" a spokesperson for the County Council said.

Following numerous meetings between the Residents Association and representatives of the County Council an amica-ble agreement has been reached. There is no date as yet for the removal of the offending 'crocodiles' however residents of Avondale road are assured that the County Council will carry out the work in the near future. A white line will be put in place to sepa-rate the cycle track from the road and the provision of 'soft' ramps to slow the traffic down is being con-sidered.

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MEGA MARINA FOR DUN LAOGHAIRE

The largest ever Irish marina is to be built in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Signing the contract for the £18million public ma-rina Mr Philip Lynch, Chairman Dun Laoghaire Harbour and Mr John Bourke Chairman Marina Marketing & Management Ltd announced the multi-million £ project would provide 680 berths plus ancillary activities.

Construction of the new marina will commence at the end of October with the official opening set for March 2001. The berths will be available to the public on an annual lease arrangement and the pro-vision of the new marina will provide additional promenade of 0.5 mile available to the public on a year-round basis. During the construction period 140 new jobs will be created and following the official opening of the facility in March 2001 up to 50 jobs will be created. The pro-ject is likely to prompt other public leisure and amenity developments in the Dun Laoghaire Har-bour area.

Speaking at the launch Philip Lynch, Chairman, Dun Laoghaire Harbour said " This is a most signif-icant development because Dun Laoghaire Harbour and MMM are developing a unique marina infrastruc-ture that will be of great benefit to the public of the area and indeed the greater Dublin area" The Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company was established in March 1997 as a com-mercial semi-state com-pany to manage the har-bour. The company em-ploys overt 60 staff and has its administrative headquar-ters in Dun Laoghaire.

Marina Marketing & Management Ltd (MMM) is a Special Purpose Com-pany set up to develop, market and operate the new marina in Dun Laoghaire. It is Irish owned and its major share-holders are local sailors who understand the local issues and the requirements of all the users of the har-bour. The three principals involved are Tom Power (40% shareholding) Michael O'Leary (40%) and John Bourke, Chair-man MMM, (20%) . The Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company was established in March 1997 as a com-mercial semi-state com-pany to manage the har-bour. The company em-ploys over 60 staff and has its administrative headquar-ters in Dun Laoghaire. "The development of Dun Laoghaire Marina will play a major role in attracting international boating events to Ireland which will ben-efit local and national tourism" commented John Bourke.

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NO LAND...NO HOUSES.

Put bluntly, the newly published Planning Bill will do nothing to solve Dun Laoghaire's shortage of housing land, said Labour's Environmental Spokesperson Ea-mon Gilmore T.D.

"Dun Laoghaire Rath-down County Council has a critical shortage of Hous-ing land. The last signifi-cant portion of Council land is at Ballyogan, but the Council and the Minister for the Environment have decided to run the new South Eastern Motorway through it. This must have been one of the most short-sighted and stupidest deci-sions made by any public body in recent years, given the acute housing crisis in this country.

In an effort to provide some household land the Council decided to put a 10% quota for Social on new development land. This was done last week long before the publication of he new Planning Bill last week. The new Planning Bill undermines the inten-tions of the Council to set aside land for its housing programme. While, on the surface it appears the Government is going fur-ther than the Council, by referring to a 20% quota, in practice the new Bill will make the Council's efforts to get building land unen-forceable.

The new Bill will not be-come operative for at least two years by which time developers will have got planning permission for their land. For example, the Council rezoned 200 acres of land in Stepaside and expected that 10% of this would be for Social hous-ing. There are nearly 2000 applicants on the Dun Laoghaire Housing List and many of them are des-perate to get housed. I will be proposing amendments to the Planning Bill in an effort to get some solution to the housing problem" concluded Councillor Gilmore.

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CALL FOR LONGFORD GARDENS PROJECT TO GO AHEAD.

Aimed at spearheading the start of an up-grade of the area from Seapoint to Sandy-cove, the Longford Gardens Project needs additional funding to bring it to comple-tion said Councillor Betty Coffey.

An allocation of £219,000 in the 1999 Urban and Village Renewal and Grants scheme towards the cost of the project is simply not enough to complete the project said Cllr Coffey adding that the County Manager is fully committed to this project. This area of coastline has been ne-glected over many years due to a lack of funding. As a major tourist area Dun Laoghaire, as the 'gateway to Ireland' should have the funding to carry out the major work along the coastline.

"It is disappointing that applications for this type of funding has not been forth-coming from the various departments. Naturally the public are concerned at the dilapidated condition of our amenity areas particularly Seapoint, The Beach Gar-dens, Newtownsmith and Sandycove Harbour which are crying out for invest-ment in environmental works. I hope that the ap-plication for the funding of the continuation of these schemes will be successful. Unfortunately for Dun Laoghaire it is perceived to be a very wealthy area. However like all other ar-eas we have our pockets of poverty and deprivation. This scheme will be of great benefit to the com-munity at large, the plans include walkways, picnic and play areas and will open up the whole area to the public" said Councillor Coffey.

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NEW HEYWOOD EXHIBITS FOR DALKEY CASTLE AND HERITAGE CENTRE

Renowned Landscape Artist Veronica Heywood lends her unique touch to the Images of Dalkey in an exhibition which runs until September 17th, as part of National Heritage Week. The exhibition is being hosted in Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre and the images of Dalkey are complemented by another of Veronica's exhibitions entitled 'Legendary Landscapes', which draws its inspiration from ancient heroic poems. According to the artist, the images 'bring to the fore the depth of history, lore and feeling the Irish intrinsically have for their home, country, place and landscape."

Sales of paintings from the Images of Dalkey exhibition are in aid of the Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre Fund, a non-profit making registered charity which undertook the restoration of the 15th century Goat Castle and construction of an exhibiton space for the celebration of the history of Dalkey and is now also a thriving arts and cultural centre. Veronica Heywood is a Graduate of the Central School of Arts and Crafts, London and came to live in Ireland in 1968 following a family holiday where she 'fell in love with the country.' Her work and commissions can be found in private collections in Ireland, England, Europe and the USA.

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"LET HACKNEY'S USE QBC" PLEADS COUNCILLOR

Councillor Olivia Mitchell has called for south-side hackney services to be allowed avail of the new Stil-lorgan Quality Bus Corridor. "The intro-duction of the Stillorgan QBC has effectively deprived the southside of a hackney service.

Unlike taxis, they operate on an agreed fixed fare and since a return journey from Foxrock to the city centre could take well over two hours, such a trip is simply no longer viable." The councillor highlighted the fact that many busi-nesses in the Southside use Hackney's to ferry business associates to city centre ho-tels and the airport, and it is unfair that these people should be subjected to rush hour delays because of the new bus lane.

"Far from limiting the use of public service vehicles, the Minister should be pressing all forms of public transport into service to en-sure maximum access by the public to the bus lanes."

According to the Council-lor, the absence of a park and ride facility or feeder bus service, hackneys could play a valuable role in ex-tending the catchment area of the bus lanes; "It is little short of madness to prevent them doing so while the southside of the city grinds to a stand still."

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TANEY KICKBOXERS ALIVE AND KICKING

Bushido Taney Kickboxing club opened in October of last year and four of its members have already competed at world level. Michelle Curtis, Wayne Maher, Kevina Malone and Susan Malone arrived back in Dublin last Monday from a five-day trip to Hanover in Germany where the 1999 W.K.A. world championships were held. Kevina Malone competed in the women's 60kg division. She fought brilliantly and was eventually beaten by a Canadian opponent who went on to win the division. It was a neck & neck fight that went all the way to sudden death. Susan Malone made her debut in the hard style Kata section which prepared her for her next tournament.

Assistant instructor of the Taney Club, Wayne Maher, took fourth place having missed out on bronze to a German opponent by a mere 2 points. Wayne enjoyed the full financial support of the Slevin Group, for whom he works. Michelle Curtis, chief instructor of the Taney Club, took home the gold, defeating a Canadian opponent in the final by three points. Michelle has always been in the top three for the past four or five years, although a serious cruciate ligament injury nearly cut short her participation in the sport. The Bushido Taney club is located beside the parish hall just off Taney hill and are always looking for new members. Anyone interested can contact Wayne or Michelle at: 01-626 2261.

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IRISH INTERNATIONAL PUPPET FESTIVAL

The 1999 International Puppet Festival takes place from 10th-19th September in the county of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown.

The main venue for the festival is The Lambert Puppet Theatre Monkstown and the well established East Pier for an afternoon of puppetry entertainment on Sunday 12th September. There will be free perfor-mances in seven libraries in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and in a number of schools and shopping centres. The lineup for this year features puppet companies from Hungary, Spain, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Venezuela.

The Irish shows are enti-tled 'The King With Don-key's Ears' and 'The Three Little Pigs', both performed by the Lambert Puppet The-atre. English entries consist of The Snow Queen and The Ugly Duckling while the Spanich inclsuion is a pocket sized performance called 'En Groc,' which has travelled the world. The shows take place in the evenings or at specially ar-ranged matinees over the weekend. Further informa-tion is available from the festival office at 280 1863.

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FANCY A HONEYMOON IN DUBAI FREE ?

Or what about £1,000 off Your Wedding Re-ception ? Then make a date for The Stillorgan Park Wedding Fair which takes place on Sunday, September 19th at 2.00pm with free admis-sion.

This wedding fair has proven to be immensely popular and always draws huge interest and large crowds. To celebrate the 'Wedding Fair of the Year,' Stillorgan Park Hotel are running two fantastic com-petitions that will be drawn on the day. The lucky win-ners will win a honeymoon to exotic Dubai with an ex-cellent second prize of £1,000 off the price of a wedding reception at the Stillorgan Park Hotel. The Stillorgan Park Hotel is a luxurious four star hotel with 100 bedrooms. It is an ideal venue for a wedding reception with paring for up to 350 cars and is located within close proximity to the city centre. It boasts a choice of three luxurious suites depending on the size of your party, the Merrion, the Priory and the Sandy-ford. All wedding packages can be tailored to suit your specific requirements to en-sure that your wedding day will be one to remember.